'Penance is a cataract that washes
away all blemish sand purges the soul of all karmic matter'

苦修就像瀑布一样，它能够洗刷灵魂深处罪恶的东西。

The word 'tap' (Penance or
Austerity) is derived from the root 'tap' by the addition of the
suffix 'ach'. The word austerity conveys the sense -to vanquish the
enemies of soul; heating agent to purify the real self; that which burns
and annihilates the karmic matter; penance; and rigorous religious
meditation.

Penance is an easy medium to lead a
living being towards spiritual uplift. All the great men born in the world
so far became great only by practicing austerity. Penance is an extremely
significant function of life. Those who adopt austerity in life sail
across the ocean of the world smoothly i.e. get rid of the cycle of birth
and death. Austerity is the only path to attain liberation.

Nothing can be gain in life without
austerity. The sun goes through heat and fire; that is why it supplies
light and warmth to one and all. Likewise, the moon and the stars undergo
austerity in their own way. No work is fulfilled in the world without
penance. If the sun had not been hot, the land would not have become
fertile; for in the absence of sunrays, no existence of any vegetation
would have been possible on the earth. Every vegetation prepares its food
itself from the soil by absorbing the sunrays. In 'Kurul Kavya'
Acharya Kundkund Swami has also said, "The more heat the land
gets, the more fertile it becomes. The seeds sown at that place become
capable of germinating very soon and bearing fruits quickly. The sun's own
heating is essential for it."

These external and internal penances form
the code of conduct for the rigorous life of self-denial the ascetics have
to lead. Again, penance is of two kinds;

1. Tamasa-tapasaya (kutap) -dark
penance.

The dark penance involves the ghastly and
terrible practices, as to sleep on the pointed iron nails, to walk on the
burning fire, to get oneself suspended from a tree, to get oneself buried
in the ground.

2. Satvika-tapasya (sutap) -real
or true penance.

The true penance involves the genuine or
natural ways of practicing penance. This real or true penance gives
prominence to the practice of ‘Dhayana’ (meditation) and 'Upavasa'
(fasting). Dark penance is the cause of migration of soul in the
universe. True penance results in the liberation of the soul. Penance is
practiced for eternal bliss. It has been said:

The penance performed to annihilate the
karmic matter is the real penance. Without annihilation of the
karmas, the final goal i.e., liberation cannot be attained. Therefore,
penance is a must for a living being aspiring for salvation. It has been
stated in 'Rajvartika'-'karmdahnatapa': that which results in the
burning or annihilation of the karmas is called penance. Acharya
Padam Nandi in the holy book ‘Panchvinshati’ has stated the same
thing as follows:

The penance performed by a monk endowed
with the vision of Right Knowledge (samyakgyanddsss) to wash off
the dirt of karmas from the soul, is called true penance. He who on
subjugating five senses and four passions aroused by the abundance of
semen is called penance. The author of the sacred book 'Dhawal' has
also defined penance as followed:

Suppression of desires to attain the
three jewels -Right faith, Right knowledge, and Right conduct -is called
penance. To discard all desires at heart and become absorbed in the real
self in order to conquer the karmas is known as penance. The word
penance means to shun the sensual pleasures. Therefore, one who desires to
perform penance will have to first overcome the lust for sensual
pleasures; only then penance can be called successful. The abstention of
ambition for legitimate and illegitimate, right and wrong sensuous
pleasures in order to attain the three jewels, viz. Right faith, Right
knowledge, and Right conduct is termed penance. In Bhagwati Aradhana
penance has been defined as strict observance of the rules of moral
conduct:

The holy Lord Jinendra has declared the
dedication to the moral code of conduct and the observance of these rules
of morality in practical life penance.

To suffer calmly without murmur, the good
or bad results of karmas that have become effective and not to
commit any type of violence towards any living being is the essence of
penance. In the critical appreciation of 'Sarvartha Siddhi' it has
been said:

"Aniguhitviryasamargvirodhikayekaleshstapa"

To mortify the body as much as possible
according to the rules laid for the path of salvation without letting your
spiritual power lie dormant is penance. A wise thinker has said, "The path
of the brave is thorny; it involves mortification of the flesh'.

The equanimity soul, who tortures his
body in various ways in the hope of getting happiness in this world and
the other world, performs the unblemished penance. In order to attain this
virtue of austerity the monks perform penance on the riverbanks in extreme
winter; on the mountain peaks in the scorching summer heat and under a
tree in heavy down pour in the rainy season. So long as we don't let our
body pass through severe penance well performed, this body will not prove
helpful in annihilating the karmas attached to our soul. Iron has
to pass through many ordeals under heating process, before it can be
finally molded into different shapes and sizes to manufacture precious
implements and other objects. Likewise only the living being, who
mortifies his body through various types of penance and tortures, attains
the invaluable and invisible three -fold jewels of Right faith, Right
knowledge and Right conduct, all of which lie dormant in the human body.
Rightly has it been questioned: 'Has not being purged in fire gold wrought
a crown?'

Self-torture or mortification of self is
undoubtedly the surest way of purging both body and soul."

"Penance vanquishes karmas and
annihilates all sins. What to speak of obtaining ordinary things as royal
happiness and the high rank of Indra, the mundane soul can attain even
Godly hood by penance. Human life is futile without penance?" -Lokantic
Deva (Vardhman Puran, pg. 68)

The penance performed in a perfect way
alone is real penance. Only such penance can be helpful to the monks to
attain salvation -Moksha. Any other penance contrary to it is Bal tapa
(ignorant penance). This ignorant penance is the cause of migration in
the world. Acharya Kundkund Swami states the characteristics
of 'Bal Tapa' in Samaysaau as follows;

The omniscient lord has termed all such
penance and observance of vows that a living being attached to the worldly
allurements performs, as 'Bal Tapa' or Bal Vrata (ignorant
vow). The bodily torture and observance of vows deceitfully for pubic
show; that which cannot prove helpful in treading the path of liberation
i.e., salvation due to wrong belief is Bal Tapa (ignorant penance).
Because such penance does not become helpful in relieving the soul from
karmas, rather it becomes the cause of the bondage of soul by
karmas.

Penance has been regarded a part and
parcel of self-restraint. Those who adore moral conduct i.e.,
self-restraint, as a rule adore penance as well; and those who worship
penance inevitably get the benefit of character worship. Penance is
performed by the observation of vows discarding indolence and passions;
and through study of scriptures and by meditation. It has been said:

On this ground also penance implies
character. Hence, all the penances are included in character worship. A
full and perfect dedication to the thirteen types of characters is
self-restraint. This self-restraint is achieved only when one is made
purified by external and internal penance, otherwise not. Therefore, on
account of being purified by external and internal penance, self-restraint
has been counted as part of penance. The self-restrained wise monks, after
proper deliberation over all the six things, e.g. matter (dravya),
age (kal), place (kshetra), thoughts (bhav), power (bal),
and virility (virya), should engage themselves in penance in
different posture, viz. Sarvasan, Vidhasan, and Suddhasan; in order
to enjoy the bliss of perfect good health and real self. A man should not
aspire for worldly rewards in exchange for the above said penances while
performing them. In the performing of penances it is essential to be
indifferent to their results. Indeed, to practice life long penance is as
difficult as to walk on the edge of sword.

Penance has been assigned an
insignificant place in this 'Pancham Kala' i.e., materialistic age.
While telling the interpretation of the dreams of the sovereign king
Bharat, Lord Rishabh Deva said, "The sight of a horse with bent back due
to being over loaded with a burden fit to be carried by an elephant
indicates that in the 'Pancham Kala' (materialistic age) the monks
will not be capable to adhere to all the characteristics of penance." Due
to this very reason declaring the study of scriptures as the superb type
of penance, the Lord emphasized the study of scriptures both by monks and
householders.

We should know that one, who does not
perform penance or practice austerities in life to one's utmost power,
deceives one's real self. Besides, all powers of such a man lie dormant.
By being engrossed in worldly pleasures a living being is held by the
shackles of severe bondage of sins due to the influx of evil karmas
which bring him untold misery and bitter agonies in the several births to
come.

If a living being performs penance within
his power, he reaps its fruits beyond imagination. Just as the high
temperature of a person's body scorched by the fierce rays of the sun
subsides by a shower bath, likewise penance works as a tranquilizer for
the noble souls burnt by the great worldly fire of passions. Penance
possesses the infinite power of undoing of the worldly miseries. The glory
of penance beggars description i.e., its significance is unlimited. He,
who does not perform penance observing as much self-restraint as possible,
is worthless like a straw.

1He who has abstained himself from greed or worldly possessions; who
has got rid of mental impurities; who has adopted nude monkshood; who
resides in mountain caves, observes the supreme penance.

2Penance is that in which calamities are suffered without murmur;
that in which feelings of attachment are conquered and that in which food
is accepted as alms at an appropriate time from the householders.

To

1Penance is that in, which the five samities -regulation of
the movements of the body are observed. That in which full attention is
paid to the three Guptis -regulation for self-control. That in,
which a man ponders and meditates over his self and non-self; and that in,
which a man sheds the feeling of vanity in his present state of birth.

2Penance is that in, which a man ponders over the purpose of his
real life; that in which the karmas are vanquished; that in which
the Gods give expression to their devotion; and that in which the sermons
are delivered for the well-being of mundane souls.

3Penance is that by the performance of which, as a rule one attains
salvation and obtains eternal bliss.

4These are the twelve types of supreme penance. Penance rids one of
a miserable state of existence. We should pay homage to it with a stable
mind; and discarding vanity and malice with full pride, the living beings
should subjugate all the five senses.

Hence, O Mortal Man! 'Mortify yourself,
mortify yourself and mortify yourself. Give up the feeling of tenderness
for the body. Conquer desires and then you will realize that you have
conquered all sorrow and misery; cut off all types of attachments,
suppress hatred, and thus you will be happy in this worldly existence and
reap a rich spiritual harvest.'

'Self-torture is not a curse, but a boon
and a way to eternal peace.' Indeed, sweet are the uses of penance i.e.,
self-torture.

To sum up, penance teaches us to surmount
hardships and difficulties willingly and cheerfully. In truth,
difficulties, which are part and parcel of penance, are the ladders that
lead us to heaven.